Abstract
This dissertation will be a detailed study of the life, times, and writings of a mid-nineteenth century Irish-American writer, Fitz-James O’Brien. This will be the first full length study of O’Brien’s thought and writings. O’Brien was known, during his day, for two different types of writing: fiction of the supernatural and his writings on social justice, written in the emerging style of literary realism. It is his writings on social justice which this dissertation will explore. O’Brien’s writings on social justice covered three main topics: children, women, and animals. I look at how the historical context, O’Brien’s life, and his writings intersected with each other. The goal of the dissertation is to make an argument that O’Brien’s writings, largely forgotten today, constitute a place in the history of American literature.
Degree Date
Spring 5-17-2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Graduate Liberal Studies
Advisor
Bruce Levy
Second Advisor
Leroy Howe
Third Advisor
Ed Countryman
Subject Area
History, Humanities, Philosophy
Number of Pages
264
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Irish, John P., "“Of Nobler Song Than Mine”: Social Justice in the Life, Times, and Writings of Fitz-James O'Brien" (2019). Graduate Liberal Studies Theses and Dissertations. 3.
https://scholar.smu.edu/simmons_gls_etds/3
Included in
American Literature Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons
